Spring steering device for toy cars

ABSTRACT

A steering device for a toy car has a steering system tie rod carrying, at opposing ends thereof, respective spindles adapted to support steerable wheels. Accordion-shaped springs are connected between the ends of the steering system tie rod and the corresponding spindles.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a steering device for toy cars, of a typewhich comprises a tie rod having opposite ends connected mechanically torespective spindles.

BACKGROUND ART

In order to provide a desired steering action on the steerable wheels ofa toy car by operating its steering wheel, it is conventional practiceto use steering devices which comprise essentially a steering column, towhich the steering wheel is attached, arranged to act on a tie rod orcrossbar of the steering system; the tie rod is in turn connected, as bymeans of links or steering arms, to two steering knuckles, a steerablewheel being associated with either knuckles. These prior steeringdevices usually employ such coupling arrangements as screw-and-nut, gearsegment, or rack-and-pinion mechanisms for linking the steering columnto the tie rod.

In general, the tie rod is, in common with the steering knuckles for thesteerable wheels, steering arms and wheel axles, a part of thewell-known articulated quadrilateral steering arrangement.

Such prior steering systems exhibit, however, the well-recognizeddrawbacks of a complex design and construction, and involve highlyaccurate designing and manufacturing procedures for their severalmembers; all this reflects in costs which are objectionably high in viewof the product for which they are intended, namely toy cars.

In an effort to obviate such drawbacks, a further type of steeringdevice has been proposed which also conforms with the aforementionedarticulated quadrilateral principle.

That further type, as disclosed in Italian Patent of IndustrialInvention No. 1096250, for example, comprises a steering system tie rodwhich is formed with weakening lines effective to define two parallelhinges intervening to the end portions and the middle portion of the tierod. Said end portions form, on bending, the aforementioned steeringarms for connection to the steering knuckles. The steering column actsat some intermediate location on the middle portion of the tie rod, inbetween the weakening lines.

While advantageous in more than one way, not even this latterconventional type of steering device is devoid of such drawbacks asoverall vulnerability as is evinced, especially after prolonged use, bythe occurrence of breakage and deformation due to the stresses broughtinto play be the steering action on the steerable wheels concentratingat the very weakening lines, that is in areas which have beenslenderized and whose construction has become inherently more fragile.

Still another drawback is, moreover, that the assembly procedure forsuch a conventional steering device involves an additional step, sincethe end portions of the tie rod must be properly bent relatively to thetie rod prior to assembling to the bodywork of the toy car.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

It is an object of this invention to provide a steering device for toycars, which as such constructional and operational features as toovercome the cited prior drawbacks.

This object is achieved, according to the invention, by a steeringdevice of the general type outlined above being characterized in that itcomprises spring means mounted and operative between each of saidopposing ends and a respective one of said spindles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Further features and the advantages of the invention will be moreclearly understood from the following detailed description of apreferred embodiment thereof, given by way of illustration and not oflimitation with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing diagramatically a steering deviceaccording to this invention as installed on the bodywork of a toy car;

FIG. 2 is a detail plan of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a an elevation view of the same detail as shown in FIG. 2.

BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

With reference to the drawing figures, the numeral 1 denotes a bodyworkof a toy car equipped with a steering device 2 according to theinvention and effective to apply a preset steering effort to a pair ofsteerable front wheels 3, as will be explained hereinafter.

Two cutouts 4 are formed on the major sides 1a of the bodywork 1, thecutouts 4 being symmetrically opposed from each other and having largerdimensions than the steerable wheels 3. A hole 5 is formed respectivelyin the bodywork 1 proximate to each cutout 4.

The steering device 2 comprises two steering knuckles, or spindles,comprehensively designated 6, journalled on the bodywork 2; eachsteering knuckle 6 is made up of a cylindrical body 7 having a lowertrunnion 8 and an upper trunnion 9 which are coaxial with each other andsecured on the bottom and the top, respectively, of the cylindrical body7. The bottom trunnions 8 fit into the holes 5 in the bodywork 1, whilethe upper trunnions 9 are adapted for engagement into holes likewiseprovided in a car body of the toy car, not shown because quiteconventional.

Each steering knuckle or spindle 6 further comprises a respective stubshaft 10 attached at one end to the cylindrical body 7, and having itsopposing end 11 formed with a mushroom termination.

The steering wheels 3 are mounted for free rotation about the stubshafts 10. The stub shafts 10 advantageously make a snap-action fit inthe wheels 3 with their mushroom-shaped ends 11.

The steering device 2 includes a steering system tie rod 12 havingopposing ends, indicated at 12a and 12b, and extending across thebodywork 1 in a parallel direction to a plane A lying perpendicularly tothe bodywork 1 and containing the axes of the cylindrical bodies 7 ofthe steering knuckles 6; further, the ends 12a and 12b of the tie rod 12are connected mechanically to the knuckles 6.

Expediently, two longitudinal stiffening ribs 13 are formed on the tierod 12, at opposing major sides thereof.

The end 12b of the steering system tie rod 12 is of parallelepipedalbox-type configuration open along a top side remote from the bodywork 1and along a forward side facing said plane A.

Accoridng to this invention, the steering device 2 includes spring means14 secured and operative between each of the opposing ends 12a, 12b ofthe tie rod 12 and is respective steering knuckle 6. Advantageouslyaccording to the invention, such spring means are comprised of twoaccordion-like spring members 14.

More specifically, each accordion-shaped spring member 14 includes twooppositely-directed bends or elbows, and is fast at one end with arespective cylindrical body 7, and at the other end, with acorresponding end, either 12a or 12bof the tie rod 12.

It should be also noted that the cross-section area of the steeringsystem tie rod 12 is greater than the cross-section area of theaccordion-shaped spring members 14.

Advantageously according to a second preferred embodiment of theinventive steering device, the tie rod 12, spring members 14 ofaccordion-like configuration, and the steering knuckles 6 are a unitaryconstruction molded from a synthetic plastics material.

The steering device 2 further includes a steering column extendingacross the plane A and set at an angle above the bodywork 1; thesteering column 15 has a steering wheel 16 keyed to its top end 15a, theother, bottom end 15b of the steering column fitting into a socket 17formed on the bodywork 1.

The steering column 15 lies close to the tie rod 12 and has a peg-likeintegral projection 18 which is arranged to project toward the bodywork1 and is inserted into the end 12b of the steering system tie rod 12.

The steering column 15 with its peg-like projection 18 and the steeringwheel 16 are also integral constructions molded from a syntheticplastics material.

The steering column 15 would be further supported, at a locationproximate to the steering wheel 16, by parts of the toy car, known perse and omitted from the drawing.

The steering action of the steerable wheels 3 is obtained by turning thesteering wheel 16 to rotate the steering column 15 and, hence, swingingthe peg-like projection 18.

That projection 18, owing to its being engaged in the end 12b of thesteering system tie rod 12, will impart to the tie rod 12 a translatorymovement directed toward either steerable wheel 3 according to thedirection in which the steering wheel 16 is turned.

As a result, the movement of the steering system tie rod 12, asstiffened by the ribs 13, will cause both accordion-like spring members14 to deform elastically; in fact, whereas one spring member undergoescompression, the other spring member is simultaneously stretched. Thespring members 14 will, in turn, cause the steering knuckles 6journalled on the bodywork 1 and having the steerable wheels 3associated therewith to pivot, and accordingly, develop the steeringaction sought.

On releasing the steering wheel 16, the wheels 3 will move back intotheir original positions under the bias force applied by the springmembers 14 which tend to recover their starting equilibriumconfiguration.

The steering device of this invention has proved simple and economicalto manufacture, and the operations involved in assembling its componentparts to the toy car have been reduced in number and made easier.

Furthermore, the provision of accordion-shaped spring members betweenthe steering system tie rod and the steering knuckles makes for a morerobust and effective steering system, since the stresses developed bythe steering action are advantageously divided over the entireaccordion-shaped spring member, thus reducing considerably thelikelihood of breakage failures.

I claim:
 1. A steering device for toy cars comprising:a steering systemtie rod adapted to to extend transversely between opposite sides of atoy car and adapted to be connected to a steering means, and twospindles adapted to be pivotally mounted on a toy car for supportingrespective wheels, each spindle being connected to a respective tie rodend by means of a respective accordion-shaped spring member, wherebyupon assembly into a toy vehicle and upon movement of said tie rod bysaid steering means a turning moment will be applied to said spindlesonly through said spring members to turn said wheels and upon release ofsaid steering means said spring members will bias said tie rod to aneutral position.
 2. A steering device for toy cars as set forth inclaim 1, wherein said tie rod, spring members and spindles are of aunitary one piece construction.
 3. A steering device for toy cars as setforth in claim 1, wherein said tie rod has at least one longitudinalstiffening rib thereon.